THE GUARDIAN: Prime minister says country not for sale after laughter in Congress at US president’s assertion ‘we’re going to get it’
Donald Trump’s claim in his address to Congress that the US will acquire Greenland “one way or the other” was widely condemned in Nuuk as “disrespectful” and was said to present an “unacceptable view of humanity”.
In his speech on Tuesday night, the US president was met with laughs, including from the vice-president, JD Vance, who was sitting behind him, when he said: “I also have a message tonight for the incredible people of Greenland.”
Trump said if the Arctic island, which is part of the kingdom of Denmark, chose to become part of the US, it would be welcomed. “I think we’re going to get it [Greenland]. One way or the other we’re going to get it,” he said to laughs and applause.
Addressing Greenlandic people, he added: “We will keep you safe. We will make you rich. And together we will take Greenland to heights like you have never thought possible before.”
Naaja Nathanielsen, Greenland’s minister for natural resources, equality, business and justice, said the scenes showed a “fundamental lack of respect for us as a people, for our historical connection to these lands and for our democratic institutions”. » | Miranda Bryant, Nordic correspondent | Wednesday, March 5, 2025
